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T O P I C R E V I E W

Buel

I previously asked about this on the NASA Spaceflight forum and had some wonderful answers.

Please can I ask anyone who has met any members of the Apollo 11 crew for your experiences? What were they like? I'd genuinely love to know.

onesmallstep

I met Mike Collins at a talk he gave at New York's American Museum of Natural History in 1989 for the 20th anniversary of Apollo 11. Afterwards, he sat on stage and signed items; he autographed my copy of Carrying the Fire. He was most gracious and attentive, and as others (and space documentaries) can attest, he is an excellent and funny speaker.

I did not meet personally with Buzz Aldrin, but did see him, his wife and Jim Lovell at an appearance at a NY fashion store for his book Magnificent Desolation in 2009. What a garish tie he had on! Lovell, of course, was more low-key and not the center of attention.

Glint

Saw Buzz Aldrin first in the early 1980s at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museu. He was on a panel with Jack Schmitt, Al Worden, and Alan Bean. He showed some hand drawn sketches of future moon bases. Didn't have a chance to talk with him. (Asked Al Worden about it last summer. He had no recollection of it 30 years later. )

Saw Aldrin and Mike Collins in the 1990s at the same venue. Collins was giving a talk about his two space flights and his career as the museum's director. Aldrin was seated in the audience. He presented my daughter with a crew photo and signed it in person for her. What a nice thing to do.

Saw Neil Armstrong when he gave a Memorial Day speech in 2005 at Gettysburg National Cemetery. I was in the front and couldn't help noticing how moved he was in that venue. Didn't have the chance to talk with him. It was the same week as barbergate and so my wife wanted to tag along and see someone who was famous and in the news of the hour. (Maybe she'd forgot about Apollo 11. )

Saw Neil Armstrong a couple years later at the National Air and Space Museum when he spoke about his time as an X-15 pilot. Did not have a chance to chat with him.

Saw Aldrin and Collins again at the 40th anniversary. Both were there to sign copies of their most recent book releases. Collins signed my book and shook my hand. Seemed like a genuinely nice and gracious fellow. Aldrin was in "auto signature mode" talking with someone to his left while signing to his right as a helper slid book after book under the pen in his right hand without him even looking. But when the helper slid a copy of his older book that I had brought along -- "Return to Earth" -- he shot forward in his chair, took a closer look at the contraband book, paused, then shrugged, and signed it anyway. He is a real signing pro if ever there was one.

I'm grateful for these privileges of meeting those gentlemen multiple times.

Jay Chladek

Of the group, I've only ever met Collins. I passed Buzz in the hall at Spacefest and said "Hey Buzz" and he said "Hello" back, so he at least seems pretty cordial.

Collins is a pretty silly guy though. At Spacefest two years ago, I sure as heck didn't have the budget to get a Collins autograph and didn't stand in line for it (I was busy running the seminars anyway). So I was a little surprised when I saw him on the second day. So I asked one of the Novaspace guys if I could shake his hand and he said with a slight grin, "Sure, if he lets you."

So I said hello and complimented him on his work in the early days of the National Air and Space Museum as opposed to that "other" thing he's been associated with. He asked where I was from and when I said "Omaha, Nebraska" he replied in that slight Jimmy Stewart drawl of his, "Ohhh, that's that place just above the arctic circle, isn't it?"

I just laughed as I was PRETTY sure he heard exactly what I said and was having a bit of a funny at my expense (which I was appreciative of) and he wanted to see what kind of a person I WAS and did it in a rather unobtrusive way (break the ice as it were). Plus, given that winters in Nebraska CAN get pretty cold and make you feel like you ARE in Alaska, I had to wonder if he had ever been stuck here in the winter time.

Buel

Thank you for those answers, they are incredibly interesting! I would welcome any more....

Jay Chladek, did you get to shake his hand then?

Apollo14LMP

Neil Armstrong, lots of us met him in Ireland in November 2003. Buzz Aldrin, a year later, same place.

MikeN6MZ

I met Mike Collins at the Museum of Flight in Seattle many years ago (25?). He was sitting alone in a nearly-empty museum ... it was hard to believe. We chatted for a while, can't really remember the topics but he was very patient with a space geek's dumb questions (got an autograph on his book also). Met Buzz Aldrin there several years later, a much larger crowd and not as much opportunity to chat but got an autograph on his book also.

I'd love to meet Neil Armstrong but not holding my breath!

The only original-7 astronaut I've met was Wally Schirra, sometime in 1999 at an Explorers Club event in San Francisco I think. He was extremely personable and still had that trademark instant smile and eye-twinkle.